Fascinating food in New York and occasionally farther afield

Tianjin Dumpling House

Until recently the Chinese characters for this stall — it's on the lower level of the Golden Mall, across from the pulled noodles — had generally been rendered as House of Xie. That sign has been joined by others, in English, indicating an expanded emphasis on boiled dumplings including sea bass (shown, 12 for $6) and lamb with green squash.

The adjoining glassed-in display still features cold dishes from Tianjin, a neighbor of Beijing and the proprietors' former home. Previously: smoked, pressed tofu ($3) smacked of sesame with pert touches of chili (less, to be sure, than I applied to the dumplings).

Also shown: a closeup of a stool near the shop's narrow dine-in counter. Though of different manufacture, these are as comically low as stools I've perched on in Saigon. A fragment of a plastic bag was knotted to each, probably to identify the stall they belong to; compare this beribboned tray in Singapore.

Tianjin Dumpling House (previously best-known as House of Xie)41-28 Main St. (at 41st Rd., inside the Golden Mall, downstairs), Flushing, Queens